Lewis slips into the library and lets the door close behind him. The room is dim and still, all brown shelves, polished wood, and drifting dust in the gaslight.
In the far corner, Parsley huddles over a book like it is a shield. His shoulders are drawn tight, and he looks up with startled eyes when he notices Lewis.
C. S. Lewis
The library is quieter than the house corridors.
Parsley
I thought it was empty.
Parsley
You are allowed in here too, are you not?
Parsley glances toward the door, then back to Lewis, still clutching the book with both hands. The tension in his posture eases by a fraction, as if the shelves themselves are lending him cover.
Parsley
It is better in here than out there. At least no one is shouting.
✓ Quest Accepted
Build trust with Parsley
“I sit on the floor near him to show I mean no harm.”
SUCCESS (Fair Etiquette, rolled +0)
Lewis lowers himself to the floor by the shelves, careful not to bump the table leg. The thin carpet takes his weight, and the library hush deepens around both boys.
Parsley watches the movement, then lets out a small breath he seems to have been holding. He loosens his grip on the book, though he keeps one hand on the cover.
Parsley
That is... kinder than standing over me.
Parsley
Most older boys prefer the other way.
Lewis settles in, but his school blazer catches on a splintered edge of the skirting. He frees it with a tiny tug, the fabric faintly creasing.
Parsley
You do not seem much like the others in School House.
Parsley
Perhaps he is not here to laugh at me.
From somewhere beyond the door, a bootstep sounds in the corridor, then passes on. Parsley glances up at the ceiling, listening, and stays where he is.
“Is Parsley hiding from Fribble?”
NO (Likely, rolled 78)
Parsley shakes his head slowly, his gaze drifting toward the heavy oak door rather than the hallway beyond. He is not hiding from Fribble, but simply seeking a moment of silence away from the constant noise of the house.
“I ask Parsley what Fribble did”
SUCCESS (Mediocre Theology, rolled +0)
C. S. Lewis
What did Fribble do?
Parsley opens his eyes at once. He glances at the door, then back to Lewis, and his shoulders tighten as if the memory has a shape.
Parsley
He sent me on an errand, then told the others I had wasted his time. That is how it starts, usually.
The admission costs him, a thin flush climbing his face. His fingers worry at the edge of the book beside him, but he stays where he is.
Parsley
It is easier if you seem useful, I think. If you do not, he notices.
Lewis learns the thing plainly, and also the price of learning it. Parsley has to swallow back the rest of the story, and the library feels a little smaller for it.
“Is Fribble dangerous to be near?”
YES (VeryLikely, rolled 59)
C. S. Lewis
The danger is not just in his words, but in the trap he sets for others.
Parsley
He does not just want to hurt you, Lewis. He wants to make you the reason he gets to hurt someone else.
Parsley leans in, his voice dropping to a whisper that barely carries over the rustle of the library shelves, confirming that Fribble's malice is a calculated, predatory game.
“Is Parsley afraid of Fribble right now?”
YES (VeryLikely, rolled 68)
Parsley
I see him in the halls, and my heart just stops. He is always watching, waiting for me to slip, and I know he will never stop until he has broken me.
C. S. Lewis
His hands are trembling against his knees, and the fear is not just a passing shadow, but a constant, heavy weight he carries.
“I tell Parsley I believe him”
SUCCESS (Fair Willpower, rolled +1)
C. S. Lewis
I believe you.
Parsley
Parsley’s shoulders loosen at once, as if the words give him room to breathe.
Parsley
Thank you. You do not know what that means, hearing it said plainly.
The library stays hushed around them. Dust turns slowly in the weak gaslight, and the corridor beyond remains mercifully quiet.
Parsley
Most boys look away, or they laugh, or they say I must have done something to deserve it.
Parsley
You did not. That is the first sensible thing anyone has said to me in days.
He lets out a shaky breath and straightens a little beside the shelf, no longer scanning the door with quite such terror.
Quest Complete
Build trust with Parsley
Skill Upgrade: Theology Mediocre→Fair